Just damn. Based on the headline and lead sentence, this is a 2-bagger barf alert.
I have never thought of Beirut as vacation destination but what do I know. I pray that these Americans can get to safety.
An article filled with nothing but editorial comments, masquerading as news...
guess they need to start pointing some fingers at themselves for their decision to do there in the first place.. :\
They go to Lebanon and then rely on the governemnt to get them out if their is trouble. The last person I know that went to Lebanon ened up as a hostage. I said it then and I will say it again years later, why would anyone risk going there?
Did you see the link I sent you? The following should work, and sorry about the error (lack of the _s_ in https) the first time I sent it.
Register at https://travelregistration.state.gov/ibrs
It's a secure sockets layer (SSL) URL--requires the "https".
have degenerated with sickening speed
It's the LA Times thats Degenerated with sickening Speed.
Screw LA . Stupid Liberals.
Sure, I hope the Americans and Brits get out safely, but what a buncha dipsticks for being there in the first place. It doesn't take a brain surgeon to figure out that a country harboring terrorists with missiles pointed at a next-door neighbor with real firepower may not be the smartest place to vacation. Frankly, these idiots remind me of the Katrina pains in the asses who put themselves (for the most part) in their own situation through bad judgment, then bitched and whined at the lack of government and private organizational speed in snapping to at their beck and call when they found themselves stranded through sheer stupidity.
Prayers for the stranded.. I never thought the US government was reponsible for my safetly when I travelled overseas, however.
When will the Federal Government rescue the people of NJ from Governor Corslime?
Perhaps they've noticed an ongoing war.
Perhaps they shouldn't have chosen a flippin' war zone for "vacations and business trips."
When will Americans realize that if they travel to another country, the US should not be responsible for their decision.
If anyone has the logistical capability it would be the US and it's military to get a lot of people out. At the same time, I am sensing that people believe things should and can happen almost immediately. Nothing happens immediately when you place your trust in the government.
You can arrange your lodging and flight to Lebanon in 15 minutes on-line. To extricate you from a war zone in which the US is not a belligerant and the attacker has isolated the country will not happen in 15 minutes.
Is every embassy in the world prepared in man power and technological cability to get people out on short notice? In a country in which the embassy's native workforce is suffering from battle and the native infrastructure is under assault will you get out quickly?
Foreign countries aren't like Disney World. Choosing to vacation or do business in a country that shares a border with Syria and Israel should cause pause and planning beyond the hotel.
I trust the US is doing what it can under the circumstances.
Just like Katrina.
The US State Department has a reputation of being crappy and unreliable when Americans overseas need their assistance. Frankly, when I traveled overseas, the only time I bothered with the State Dept. was to let them know I was in the country, but I had no illusions about them doing anything to help me get out quickly, should the need arise.
Instead, we have Republicans running the show...
</sarcasm>
Fox News was saying something like 25,000 Americans were in Beirut. That's more than in John Murtha's Johnstown.
There have been DOS travel warnings issued for Lebanon since April 2005.